Silent but deadly confessions

Did Holly's confession live up to the drama? Will the resulting fallout leave the adults scrambling? And if E.J. has to apologize, who will he take down with him? Let's discuss the penance for their sins in this week's Two Scoops.

I was worried that when Holly didn't blurt out a confession publicly at the christening, we'd get a lower-key rollout to the Tate truth. Boy, was I wrong. It doesn't hurt that the whole thing was handled by the best collection company of actors we have on DAYS. This storyline had no clunkers. Everyone -- adults and kids -- was brilliant.

Brady's confrontation of E.J. and Holly was cathartic. I cheered when Brady declared, "By the way, I want an apology, E.J. -- very public apology for my son. I want it in newspapers. I want it in the Spectator. I want it in skywriting!" And that feeling of retribution can be placed squarely at Dan F's feet. He's so stinkin' good at playing smug, unfair E.J. But through it all, we've never wavered for one second in believing that E.J. loves Nicole and is doing most of this to protect her.

And that leads us to the other person who claimed she was protecting Nicole -- Holly. You guys, Ashley Puzemis must have gotten every dessert she ever asked for in real life because this young lady can slay helplessness. Yet, just like her on-screen stepfather, she's just as believable playing the schemer. We knew she was lying about protecting her mom this whole time -- at least about that being the only reason she didn't come clean. And when Holly unleashed a string of extremely unfair accusations at Nicole, nothing felt truer for the brat who's never made spoiled look so good.

Theresa has Holly's number, too. And while Theresa wasn't part of the confession scene, she was certainly part of the fallout. She set the stage with Tate that Holly can't be trusted. I can't find any fault with Theresa insisting that Holly is a selfish, spoiled brat. In Theresa's eyes, Holly's choice to stay quiet kept Theresa's son in jail/halfway house. She's not wrong. Debating the degree to which Holly canceled Tate's life is pointless to Tate's mom -- and, really, to the rest of us, too.

Even Eric -- who literally named his son after the patron saint of lost souls -- told Holly she'd better confess her sins to her holy mother right away if not sooner. No one does compassion like Greg Vaughan. The use of it here was spectacular, as Eric has feet in both camps -- caring for Holly and Tate.

Under Jamie Martin Mann's thoughtful hand, Tate sidestepped being a "bro" and actually became a thoughtful, semi-tortured soul -- so pure and even hopeful! There's a real quiet strength, which I hope stays with the character through the recast. I believed Tate's delight when he rushed into the mansion to kiss Holly. This dude has had eyes for her since day one. Seeing her almost near death then come back has to play hard on his heart.

That's not to say that I bought her mutual infatuation. Look, old lady me is screaming at the TV, "Pick him, Holly!! He's the nice guy! He really puts you first!" but that's usually not how teenagers roll. We've established that Holly splits the line between genuine and opportunistic, so I can't quite tell where she's landing here. But, either way, with their parents against them, it will be classic soap to watch!

That means we need to speak about their parents. Brady and Nicole were bah-rilliant last week. Eric Martsolf and Ari Zucker should get excellence pay.

For his part, Brady is taking no prisoners. Was it a bit harsh to watch Brady yell at Holly? Maybe. But as soon as he turned his anger at E.J., it felt just. I love that Brady marched himself back over a day later to double down on that demand for a public apology. Yes, Brady. Yaaaasss! After this week, I don't want to hear anything else from Brady about him not being a good father. This is the strength we wish Brady had in all aspects of his life.

Finally, Nicole was spectacular. I love how Nicole appreciated Holly's reasoning for wanting to protect her but never really bought the whole thing. Nicole's in a tough spot here! Despite the fact that her daughter committed a pretty serious crime, Holly also just survived a brush with death. Nicole has to navigate punishing the very daughter she's just thankful is alive. Taking away her phone and car, grounding her indefinitely, and putting her in therapy seem appropriate. I'm impressed with how self-aware Nicole was that her apple didn't fall far from the tree. Yet, rather than assuming it's Nicole's fault that Holly chose this path, Nicole realized that she -- better than anyone -- could understand and help guide Holly to make some better choices. Well, except for that cute dress. In that respect, both Nicole and Holly made excellent calls last week. No notes.

So, while Holly and Tate fight to be together, Jada is pulling no punches in trying to be away from Bobby/Everett. There's an official question on how many times one needs to divorce this cat before it sticks.

Yup, since Bobby never signed the papers, Jada and Bobby are still officially married. Do I buy that super cop Jada didn't make sure the paperwork was in order before it was filed? I truly do not. But these papers have to mean something. I tend to think it's for legal reasons in case Bobby/Everett ever finds himself in a next-of-kin situation. It would be up to Jada whether to pull the plug or not.

Sadly, I worry this is setting up Jada vs. Stephanie for an all-time rivalry. I guess that makes sense on paper, as Steve is a father/father figure to both, and squabbling sisters is a staple on soaps. (Say that five times fast!) But I really did like the Stephanie/Jada friendship! I think Jada is pretty out of line with how mean she's being to Stephanie -- who, to be fair, didn't do anything to Jada. It almost feels like Stephanie is the one who will give Jada a reaction, so that's who Jada is going after. I don't love it.

I especially don't love it when it's clear that there's something bad wrong with Bobby/Everett. His hypnosis session with Mar proved there's a true, sinister character buried in that subconscious. I wouldn't be surprised if the hypnosis is what made Bobby come out for a while, and he's the one who won't sign the papers.

This is all to say that if Mar's hypnosis is what allowed Bobby to resurface, Mar needs to let someone else take over the hypnosis sessions for a while. The last one she did, Ava, allowed the patient to completely lie to her the whole session. Now, if this one lets a crazy man out, I'd say Mar needs to find a new treatment method.

Loose Ends

Wendy is not coping well. Understandable. All I had to do was watch their scenes, and I still have PTSD (post-traumatic soap disorder). It's made her so crazy that she doesn't remember they had this same conversation in the hospital about how they're not married and should just keep dating. It's made him so crazy that when listing his past romantic interests, he doesn't even mention Claire, Ciara, or Haley (his first wife)?!

Ava's not going to reopen the Bistro. That's fine and all, but then who's going to take it over? Technically, E.J. should own it, since he has most of Stefan's possessions. Perhaps Johnny will take it over, since pretending to help Chanel bake was the closest thing to an occupation he's had in months. I can see him running in and commissioning Sweet Bits to provide the full dessert menu. Move Ava over to head chef, and call it a new day.

Eric found a note from the landlord that the rent hasn't been paid. Aha! Now, he's surely going to figure out that Sloan is being blackmailed and spending her money supporting an entire other household. Then, he'll dig to find out why, uncovering the true history of baby Jude. Kidding. No, he won't. He'll start some selfish shame spiral because that's what dudes in Salem do. I suspect we'll hear about how this is all his fault, and he needs to pull more weight than taking headshots for Leo will allow.

Only in Salem could a man be proven innocent based on the theory that one man could never own more than one pair of pants. Still, I'll always love seeing Xander and Sarah in mystery-solving mode. If they'd be up for it, I have a list at the end of this column.

In news that we all kind of saw coming, Paulina, woman of miracles, is cancer-free. Now, she's free to have cocktails with Marlena (yay!) and start questioning if she's clairvoyant. Dahhhhling, stop. There's only one psychic in Salem.

I love absolutely everything Lucas and Kate. When she brought him the bag of books and snacks, I cheered. I want to see Lucas at vespers. I hope he gets to eat those cookies, too!

HOT:

Jamie Martin Mann decided to leave DAYS in order to finish college. It's a truly admirable decision, and -- at the risk of sounding like the old lady I am -- I'm sure his parents are very proud of him! I wish this talented young man nothing but the best. In his short time on DAYS, he made a delightful impression, garnering instant chemistry with all his co-stars and nailing the nuances of the relationships with each of his main scene partners. He was present in his scenes in a way that most actors his age aren't able to grasp. I'm sure this guy will go on to do great things! If they happen to be in Salem...well, that wouldn't be terrible at all.

NOT:

Oh, sweet lord, Stephanie. Listen to Chad!! Sure, I think Jada's being way harsh on Steph. But Stephanie isn't winning any sympathy points by taking up the Everett banner and marching down the field. Her suggesting that Marlena talk to Jada was bonkers. Chad is correct. There is a third option between condemning him and defending his honor -- and that is to take a step back and chill. Even Julie told Steph to worry about herself, and you know it's bad when I'm agreeing with Julie!

LINE OF THE WEEK

Chad (to Stephanie, about Everett): "Do you want me to fire him? Again?"

Billy Flyn's delivery was perfection. And talk about a way to get closure on a relationship with one line.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

It was so nice of that other family to sit chatting quietly in the corner of the room while Thresa yelled about what a brat Holly is.

Mmmm...hang on. Wendy is the bravest person Tripp knows? Has he met his dad? Has he looked in a mirror?

Xander said his pants were $40. He also said they were less than the price of take-out. He is correct on the latter. Things are expensive right now!

That shot where Nicole looked back at Holly through the mirror was super cool!

There's a morality clause in DiMera contracts? Since when??

Low key, I think it would be funny for Tripp and Wendy to try to never be alone for a bit. Jude's christening? They should have just shown up. Paulina's welcome home party? Yup, they're the consummate party guests. Need volunteers at the hospital to make rounds and just chat with patients? Send in these two!

Just where is home for Chanel and Johnny?

I get more and more annoyed with Sloan's annoyance with motherhood each day. Yes, Sloan. Most people take their infants with them everywhere. Has she ever seen an actual family before?

What I wouldn't give to hear what Sami has to say about Nicole's daughter keeping Sami's nephew/cousin in that halfway house for months...

Mysteries for the Xarah Crime Firm to look into:

• Are we ever going to find out who really killed Li?
• Who lit the Horton house on fire?
• Who shot Lucas?
• What's the secret ingredient in Chanel's bear claws?

That's it for this week! Tony will be back next week to make sure nothing bad happens at the Horton cabin. Such an easy assignment!

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